


just a little of your love, baby (and i'll try)

by hi_raeth



Series: reblog (mini fics + prompt fills) [7]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Pointless fluff, office friends that is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-27
Updated: 2019-01-27
Packaged: 2019-10-18 02:19:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17572445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hi_raeth/pseuds/hi_raeth
Summary: This is routine: taking separate cars to Ben’s place after work on Fridays, having the best sex of her life, and heading back to her own bed at the end of the night.This is not routine: going to Ben’s place just to have dinner and fall asleep, waking up to find him cooking lunch for her, and realizing she could spend the rest of her life like this.





	just a little of your love, baby (and i'll try)

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from HAIM's _Little of Your Love_.

“Come over tonight?”

It’s a discreet murmur, despite the relative privacy of the kitchenette and its closed doors. If not for the hand on the small of her back, no one would think twice of Ben standing right next to her as he reaches up for the secret stash of cookies he shares only with her and Leia.

Rey sighs as she comes to a reluctant decision. “Raincheck?” she pleads, turning to lean against the counter and watch Ben make coffee. “I want to, but it’s been such a long week that I’d probably fall asleep on you.” And isn’t that a thought, Ben emerging from between her legs only to find her snoring away? Best not to chance any embarrassing encounters and head straight for the comfort of her own bed tonight.

Ben shrugs, and Rey allows herself a small smile; of course he’d understand. But then he leans in, tucks a lock of hair behind her ear and says, “Come over anyway.”

“But…” She wants to, she really does, has been looking forward to this all week the way she’s been looking forward to weekends since she first went home with him two months ago–

“Look, Finn and Rose always wake you up first thing in the morning, right?” Ben points out as he turns his attention back to his coffee, missing the look of surprise on Rey’s face. She’d mentioned it in passing weeks ago, when she’d caught sight of the clock on his nightstand and groaned at the late hour, explaining to him that she’d most probably have to be up by seven the next morning thanks to her roommates and their habit of getting up at the crack of dawn on Saturdays to catch up on the week’s chores.

At the time she’d felt Ben’s careful eyes on her as she stumbled around in the darkness of his room looking for her clothes, and as Rey began to pull on her jeans she’d almost expected him to say something. But he’d remained silent save for a quiet goodnight at his door and the usual request to let him know when she got home safely, and that was that.

Now, though–

“I promise to let you sleep in,” Ben offers, and Rey’s resolve falters. “Won’t even try to wake you until noon, at the very earliest.”

Getting to actually catch up on sleep for once sounds heavenly, especially in Ben’s ridiculously comfortable bed, but Rey finds herself hesitant to accept the offer. They’ve never actually done this – arranged to spend time together for anything other than sex, agreed beforehand for her to stay the night. “Are you sure?” she asks, watching him carefully for a reaction. “I wouldn’t want to make things weird.”

“Weird?” Ben echoes with a laugh, offering her one of those smiles she’s starting to love; bright-eyed with the tiniest hint of teeth, it’s a far cry from the tight-lipped look she’d grown used to during their first few months working together. “Why would it be weird? We’ll just have dinner and go to bed, maybe watch some Netflix until we fall asleep. And I promise not to wake you up at sunrise with the vacuum.”

The picture he paints sounds oddly domestic to her, but Rey was gone as soon as he mentioned letting her sleep until noon. Whatever weirdness or awkwardness this evening brings, she’ll deal with it tomorrow – once she’s well-rested and capable of making smart choices again.

“All right, I’ll come over,” she decides, and can’t help but smile at the way Ben beams at her.

 

* * *

 

The apartment smells _amazing_ , and Rey’s stomach growls the second Ben opens the door and ushers her in. Her first thought is that he must’ve gone ahead and ordered takeout for them, but then–

“–should be ready in a few minutes, but why don’t you go ahead and get some wine first?” Ben says as she follows him into the kitchen, only to be greeted by the sizzling sounds of stir-fry.

“You’re cooking,” she realizes out loud, standing stock-still as she takes in the sight of Ben actually making use of his kitchen for once. For _her_ , Rey realizes, and quickly pushes that to the back of her mind by adding, “I didn’t realize you can.”

Ben shrugs without turning away from the stove. “I know just enough to not live on takeout,” he says, although the two other dishes on his countertop suggest otherwise.

“That’s still better than me,” Rey tells him, shaking off her daze to help herself to the bottle of wine he’s left out on the island. She pours him a glass as well, and something in her chest grows tight when Ben turns around and thanks her by brushing a kiss across her temple before motioning for her to sit down.

Whatever that odd feeling in her chest is, it remains in place throughout dinner. They talk about the past week, the rumors of an upcoming merger, the prank Poe pulled on Finn two days ago – normal things, the kind of things they’d usually discuss over lunch with the rest of their coworkers. Except they’re not with their coworkers, and they’re in Ben’s apartment, and a not-so-small part of Rey can’t help but compare this to a date.

After dinner she insists on doing the dishes, and eventually Ben gives in and disappears into his bathroom, calling first shower. She’s still exhausted, and the wine definitely hasn’t helped with her sleepiness, but the image of Ben in the shower almost makes her wish they were up to their usual Friday night activities.

But sleep calls to her even as she ambles into the bathroom for her turn, and when she emerges in a cloud of steam Ben’s already tucked in and setting up Netflix on the TV in his bedroom. Rey lingers by the bathroom door for a while, wondering how this works – does she just climb into bed with him? Is she supposed to turn off the lights first? Should she at least try to stay awake long enough to fool around? – until Ben spots her and pats her side of the bed invitingly.

He wraps an arm around her as soon as she’s settled in, and Rey allows her head to rest on his shoulder as Ben pulls up old episodes of _The Office._ His hair is still slightly damp, and the comfortingly familiar scent of his shampoo along with the warmth of his body conspire to weigh her eyelids down even as Ben laughs quietly at something onscreen and murmurs a comment against her hair.

Rey falls asleep within minutes.

 

* * *

 

In the morning, she vaguely registers warm lips brushing across her forehead and Ben saying something about water on his nightstand.

By the time she wakes up, though, the sun is high in the sky and the clock reads 12:37. She finds the promised glass of water on the nightstand, along with a note from Ben. _Gone to get some things for lunch, back by noon. Go back to sleep._

The faint sound of Ben working in the kitchen pulls her out of bed, and after a quick detour to the bathroom Rey pads out on socked feet to find him cooking for her again.

“Morning,” she says, helpless against the smile that tugs on her lips and the warmth that blooms in her chest.

Ben turns around with a grin. “Hey,” he replies, momentarily abandoning the stove to drop a quick kiss on her lips. “Good _afternoon_ , Sleeping Beauty. Did you sleep well?”

“Best night’s sleep in years,” Rey assures him, and it feels like the most natural thing in the world to wrap her arms around him when he turns back to the stove, to press her chest to his back and nuzzle the curve of his shoulder.

“Is this your evil masterplan?” she asks, pressing her cheek to his arm as she inspects what he’s making for lunch. “Lure me here with the promise of sleep and keep me forever with food?”

“Is it working?” Ben asks without pause, without hesitation, and it’s not lost on either of them that he doesn’t deny wanting to keep her.

Rey waits for that odd chest tightness from last night to reappear, and smiles when it doesn’t. “Maybe,” she shrugs, rising up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to Ben’s check before she lets go of him.

Lunch and the rest of the afternoon seem to go by in the blink of an eye, a haze of lazing about and more kisses than they’ve exchanged in the entirety of their acquaintance. It’s only when Ben mentions getting started on dinner that Rey realizes she’s probably overstayed her welcome.

“I should get going,” she says as they get up from the couch, keeping her eyes on the ground as Ben stretches out sleeping muscles, preparing herself for a casual dismissal and the usual _I’ll walk you to the door_.

“Or you could just stay another night.”

When she looks up, Rey finds Ben giving her the most earnest look she’s ever seen on him. “Ben,” she says carefully, watching the way a hint of wariness casts a shadow over his hopeful eyes. “We’ve been together for a full day now.”

“So?” he asks, looking utterly unbothered by the fact.

It takes a lot of effort to keep herself in check, to keep her hope from blinding her. “So… aren’t you sick of me yet?” she asks only half-jokingly.

“ _Rey_ ,” Ben sighs, and then he’s reaching out and pulling her into his arms and his lips are brushing the sensitive skin of her ear as he whispers, “I could never get sick of you.”

Heart in her throat, Rey tentatively wraps her arms around him in return. “Was this… I mean… I’ve been here all day and we haven’t had sex. Not even once. That’s not normal for us, Ben.”

He draws back to look her in the eye. “It could be.”

“Ben,” she says, and gathers up all her courage to ask– “What is this?”

“This is what I want for us,” he tells her without a moment’s pause, without even the slightest hint of fear. “If you don’t mind, that is.”

Just twenty-four hours ago, the idea of her and Ben being anything more than a long-term hook-up would’ve knocked Rey off her feet. The mere suggestion of her spending the night had filled her with questions and concerns about their arrangement, so carefully crafted all those weeks ago to cater to their needs without overstepping any boundaries.

But now… now that she knows what it’s like to fall asleep in his arms, now that she’s familiar with the wave of affection that swells in her heart when she sees him cooking for her, now that she can picture them doing this every weekend for the rest of her life–

“Okay,” Rey agrees casually, even throws in a shrug.

“Okay?” Ben asks, his confident façade betrayed by the disbelief in his eyes.

“Whatever this is,” she tells him, waves around the apartment to indicate the past twenty-four hours, the glimpse of their future that he’s offered her, “I like it. I want it. So yes, Ben,” Rey says with a smile so wide it hurts, “ _okay_.”

He blinks at her once, twice, and then– “Okay,” Ben declares with a bright smile of his own, and seals the deal with a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t even know what this is, y’all. I know I say that a lot, but this one feels particularly rushed and half-assed to me. But hopefully I’ll get back into the swing of things soon!
> 
> Until then, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment!


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